S. 507, Manhattan Project National Historical Park Act

Summary

As ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on May 16, 2013

S. 507 would establish the Manhattan Project National Historical Park from eligible sites in Tennessee, New Mexico, and Washington. Under the legislation, the park would be established when the Secretary of the Interior certifies that enough property has been obtained to constitute a manageable park unit and enters into a cooperative agreement with the Secretary of Energy concerning how each department would administer those properties. S. 507 also would require the National Park Service (NPS) to complete a general management plan for the park within three years after funds have been made available.

The final costs of implementing S. 507 would depend on which lands are chosen for inclusion in the new park unit. Based on information from the NPS, CBO estimates that if all eligible sites were included, implementing the bill would cost $21 million over the 2014-2018 period, assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts. The Department of Energy would continue to operate and manage sites currently under its jurisdiction, and the NPS would only be responsible for providing public education and technical assistance at those sites. CBO estimates that the annual operating costs to the NPS could total about $4 million. CBO estimates that completing the required general management plan would cost about $750,000 over the next three years. Enacting S. 507 would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.

S. 507 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments.

On May 8, 2013, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for H.R. 1208, the Manhattan Project National Historical Park Act, as ordered reported by the House Committee on Natural Resources on April 24, 2013. The two pieces of legislation are similar, and the CBO cost estimates are the same.